I’d still be fearful in the playoffs of any team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but people around the NBA seem to be taking the opportunity to delight in the Lakers’ current woes. The Lakers are 26-28, mired in ninth place in the West.
Said one league source, “Somebody had a great line. They said, ‘They built a terrific team for the 2014 Finals,’ or something like that. There’s no energy there.”
Russell Westbrook has had difficulty when on the floor with the starters, and coach Frank Vogel kept him pinned to the pine for all of OT when L.A. got past the Knicks Saturday.
“It’s obvious they’re trying to move Westbrook, which is damn near impossible,” a league exec told Heavy.com. “They know that roster’s just not working.”
Said another, “Russell plays hard and he’s always put up big numbers. But is he a winning player?”
A large part of the “damn near impossible” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has in trading Westbrook is the fact he’s carrying a $44.2 million salary number for this season and has a player option for $47 million next year.